Follow-up of dairy cattle naturally infected by Trypanosoma vivax after treatment with isometamidium chloride

Rev Bras Parasitol Vet. 2021 Apr 26;30(1):e020220. doi: 10.1590/S1984-29612021019. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Trypanosoma vivax infections cause nonspecific clinical signs in cattle associated with aparasitemic intervals, making disease diagnosis a challenge. In Brazil, diminazene aceturate and isometamidium chloride (ISM) are available to treat bovine trypanosomosis. The objective of this study was to follow-up, by molecular and serological techniques, dairy cattle naturally infected by T. vivax after ISM treatment. Thirty cattle naturally infected with T. vivax received two applications of ISM, at a dosage of 1.0 mg/kg intramuscularly, on days 0 and 150. For T. vivax diagnosis, EDTA-blood and serum samples were evaluated on 0, 7, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, and 240 days after treatment PCR, Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and ELISA. Animals with persistent detection of T. vivax DNA by both PCR and LAMP were found and continuous detection of anti-T. vivax IgG antibodies by ELISA, suggesting the presence of T. vivax resistance to ISM. The combination of LAMP and ELISA tests can prevent misdiagnosis of the parasite clearance in treated cattle, contributing to better disease control. This is the first experiment that demonstrates the persistence infection of T. vivax under ISM treatment in a natural infected herd and evidence of ISM chemotherapy-resistant T. vivax in Brazil.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brazil
  • Cattle
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Molecular Diagnostic Techniques
  • Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques
  • Phenanthridines
  • Trypanocidal Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Trypanosoma vivax
  • Trypanosomiasis, African* / veterinary
  • Trypanosomiasis, Bovine* / diagnosis
  • Trypanosomiasis, Bovine* / drug therapy

Substances

  • Phenanthridines
  • Trypanocidal Agents
  • isometamidium chloride

Supplementary concepts

  • LAMP assay